Accreditation of Medical Education in China

As an external quality evaluation mechanism, accreditation of medical education refers to the process of reviewing and evaluating medical schools or educational programs (majors) by designated institutions according to established standards and procedures. The main purpose is to judge whether medical schools or educational programs (majors) meet basic quality standards, and to encourage medical schools to continuously improve the quality of education. With the development of the internationalization of medical education and the cross-border flow of medical human resources, accreditation of medical education is one of the effective means to ensure the safety of medical services and the rational use of medical professionals. Moreover, it is the quality assurance pattern advocated and promoted jointly by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Since 2002, China has started relevant research and focused on building our own national accreditation system for medical education. In 2008, the Ministry of Education and former Ministry of Health jointly issued the Standards and Guidelines for Basic Medical Education (for Trial Implementation), and the Expert Committee for the Accreditation of Medical Education and the Working Committee for the Accreditation of Medical Education (WCAME) was set up, which marked the establishment of accreditation system for medical education in China. The gradual development of accreditation for medical education of medical colleges has promoted the quality assurance and improvement of clinical medical education in China.

Establishment of accreditation system for medical education in China

Formulation and Revision of Standards for Medical Education

In 2002, with the support of the Ministry of Education, the China Association of Higher Education Medical Education Committee and the Peking University Health Science Center jointly held the “International Seminars of Medical Education Standards”, which introduced the international standards for medical education and established the research group of “Research and Practice on Localization of International Standards for Medical Education”. On the basis of this research group, the Ministry of Education entrusted the Medical Education Committee of China Association of Higher Education to form the research group of “Research on Quality Assurance System of Medical Education in China”. Referring to The Basic Medical Education WFME Global Standards for Quality Improvement, WHO Guidelines for Quality Assurance of Basic Medical Education in the Western Pacific Region, the Institute for International Medical Education (IIME) Global Minimum Essential Requirements in Medical Education, and relevant standards in Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries, the research group developed the Standards and Guidelines for Basic Medical Education (for Trial Implementation). In 2008, the Ministry of Education and former Ministry of Health jointly issued it and take it as the basis for accreditation of medical education in China.

In 2014, the Medical Education Research Base of the Ministry of Education established the research group for the implementation of accreditation of medical education in China”. Based on the development trend of international medical education and the accreditation experience accumulated over the past decade, the research group has comprehensively revised the Standards and Guidelines for Basic Medical Education (2008). This revision retains the applicable content of the last version, which is mainly based on Basic Medical Education: The WFME Global Standards for Quality Improvement (2012), and refers to the standards of accreditation bodies such as Australian Medical Council (AMC), Liaison Committee On Medical Education (LCME), And General Medical Council (GMC). After extensive research and expert consultation, the research team completed the revision work in two years and formed the Accreditation Standards for Basic Medical Education in China (2016).

Establishment of the Accreditation Procedure in Line with International Norms

In 2006, the research group of “Research on Quality Assurance System of Medical Education in China” invited the WFME international accreditation expert group in the name of the Medical Education Committee of China Association of Higher Education. According to Basic Medical Education WFME Global Standards for Quality Improvement, pilot accreditation of medical education was conducted at Harbin Medical University, which is the first medical school in China to be accredited. In 2008, the research group, together with experts at home and abroad, conducted pilot accreditation of medical education in Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology for the first time, according to the Standards and Guidelines for Basic Medical Education (for Trial Implementation). On this basis, the research group drafted Guidelines for the Accreditation of Medical Education (for Trail Implementation), which determined the basic principles and procedures of accreditation.

Based on the development trend of international medical education and the accreditation experience accumulated over the past decade, the research team on “Strategic study on implementation of accreditation of basic medical education in China” has comprehensively revised the Accreditation of Medical Education (for Trail Implementation). At the end of 2016, the research team completed the Guidelines for the Accreditation of Medical Education (2016). The Plenary Meeting of the Working Committee for the Accreditation of Medical Education (WCAME) reviewed and approved the Guidelines for the Accreditation of Medical Education (2019) in March, 2019 and implemented it from the date of publication.

Establishment of Institutions and Expert Libraries for Accreditation of Medical Education in China

In 2008, the Ministry of Education established the WCAME, which consists of medical experts, medical education experts, and personnel from medical and health professional associations and relevant government departments. A secretariat is set up under the Working Committee, with its office in Peking University Health Science Center responsible for the routine tasks. The WCAME is responsible for organizing the national accreditation work of medical education, including: stipulating and revising the educational standards and guidelines for medical programs and the accreditation procedures; organizing and conducting accreditation of medical education; undertaking international cooperation related to accreditation and facilitating educational research; guiding the medical schools to conduct accreditation of medical education; and undertaking related matters entrusted by the Ministry of Education.

Through ten-year practice and accumulation, the WCAME has established expert libraries for accreditation of medical education. The composition of the expert libraries is based on the members of the WCAME and is recommended by the parties related to medical education. The WCAME regularly consults relevant medical schools, various medical associations, Chinese Medical Association, Chinese Medical Doctor Association, Higher Medical Education Association and other relevant departments to recommend outstanding experts to join the expert libraries.

Implementation of accreditation of medical education

From May 18th to 20th, 2006, Ms. Theanne Walters (Executive Deputy Director of AMC at that time, recommended by WFME), Professor Laurean Geffen ( former Chairman of the Association of Medical Education of West Pacific Region, former Chairman of Medical School Accreditation Committee) Professor Michael Field of the Medical School Accreditation Committee (Chairman of AMC at that time) , and Professor Cheng Boji ( leader of research group of “Research on Quality Assurance System of Medical Education in China”, Peking University) formed the expert group for accreditation, conducted pilot accreditation of medical education in Harbin Medical University, according to Basic Medical Education WFME Global Standards for Quality Improvement. According to the Standards, all the 36 indexes of running a school of Harbin Medical University met the basic requirements of Basic Medical Education WFME Global Standards for Quality Improvement, of which 25 indexes met the requirements of high quality standards. In June 2007, Harbin Medical University received a return visit of accreditation.

In 2008, the expert group of accreditation composed of domestic and foreign experts successfully conducted pilot accreditation of medical education in Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology for the first time, according to the Standards for Basic Medical Education (for Trial Implementation) (discussion draft).

By December 2018, a total of 88 schools across the country (accounting for 56.8% of the total number of schools to be accredited) received the first round of accreditation of medical education, of which 16 schools invited foreign experts to participate in the site visit. Harbin Medical University has accepted a new round of accreditation in November 2018.